French Drain System, Norman Oklahoma
Recently Norman Oklahoma had 4 inches of rain in two hours. That’s the most rain in a short time that I can remember. Storm-Water runoff can cause damage to all types of property and buildings. Water getting inside your house is never a good thing. A Drainage System that utilizes a French Drain can help. Drains can protect your home and property from water damage. Oklahoma Drainage and Sprinkler Repair installs a wide variety of Drains in many different places. A Drain or Group of Drains with Drainpipe going to an exit point is a “Drainage System.”
Drainage Systems
can be made up of one drain or a combination of many drains. Drainage problems can be very complex. Complex Drainage Problems may require a combination of several different types of drains all inter-connected and working together. Other times the drainage problem may be simple and straight-forward requiring only one drain or several of the same type of drain connected together.
An example of a complex drainage system would be: A French Drain in the back yard connected to a Surface Drain near a flower bed connected to several gutter downspouts, which are connected to a Channel Drain going across a driveway, which is connected to additional Surface Drain in the front yard, which runs to a Curb Fitting that lets all the water drain out on to the street.
A simple Drainage System might consist of a Surface Drain that is connected to a second Surface Drain which runs to a Pop-up Emitter which lets water drain over the curb and into the street.
An “Exit Point” is the term used for where all the water leaves the Drainage System. Determining the Exit Point is very critical. It is one of the first things we do when diagnosing a Drainage Problem.
1. Keep water away from foundations — A French Drain is best because it can move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water (water moving under ground) away from the foundation. Many times less experienced companies install Surface Drains to keep water away from foundations. This can be a big mistake. A Surface Drain can’t move or drain Sub-Surface Water.
Also A Surface Drain often can’t move enough water fast enough and easily becomes overwhelmed during a heavy rain. A Surface Drain also can’t cover or protect a broad enough area. Surface Drains should be designed in a Drainage System to be located in smaller Drainage Areas moving moderate amounts of water.
Surface Drains look better than French Drains. If ,”appearance” is more important than Drainage Capacity, Go with the Surface Drain. Just know what you are getting into and what your expectations should be. One side of a foundation alone, can be over 100 feet. A 4 inch or 6 inch French Drain is best when protecting a large area such as a foundation.
2. Keep water away from small or enclosed areas. This might be a low area just through a gate on the side of a house, or the low area between a flowerbed and the wall of a house, or standing water on or near a sidewalk or driveway. These types of Drainage Problems are best served with Surface Drains.
can move water away from a low area that is relatively small. This can occur in yards, flowerbeds, sidewalks and driveways. A Surface Drain is designed to move Surface Water away from a problem area to a predetermined exit point. Surface Drains are available in many sizes. How quickly they remove standing water is usually determined by the size of the Drainpipe that is connected to the Drain.
Simply put,
a Drainage System is one or a group of underground Drainpipes that take water away from a place that has water standing on it or flowing across it. The water that is in the problem area, can be causing damage or may be inconvenient or both. (Usually Both) A simple Drainage System is a Drain for the water to enter, a Drainpipe to move the water away from the Drain, and an Exit Point for the water to be released out of the Drainpipe.
Drainage Systems quickly can become more complicated. Considerations must include:
How does the water get to the problem area? There may be one or many sources.
Water Sources:
1. It falls from the sky directly
2. It flows down hill over the surface (surface water)
3. It flows underground under the surface (sub-surface water)
4. It flows from the edge of a roof ( There may be many roofs near the problem area, neighbors etc.)
5. It flows from a gutter downspout
6. It flows over the edge of a gutter because the gutter is too small is is clogged
7. It flows up from the ground (seeps and springs are common in Oklahoma)
8. It flows from a sprinkler system use ( yours or your neighbors)
9. It flows from a leaking pipe ( water mains, water meters, water lines, sprinkler pipes, sprinkler valves)
There are other reasons for Drainage Problems, the above reasons are just the most common.
Determining Water Sources
Once the number of water sources is determined, a rough estimate of the amount of water that needs to be drained away on average must be estimated. This can be simplified down to “SMALL, MEDIUM, OR LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER TO BE DRAINED AWAY. You don’t have to be an engineer trying to calculate fluid dynamics. Experience at diagnosing drainage problems helps however.
How much water needs to be moved will help determine the type and size of the Surface Drain or French Drain that needs to be installed. It also helps to determine the size of Drain Pipe required for the Drainage System. A good rule to follow is, “If in doubt, install a larger Drain and Drainpipe.” Unused Drainage Capacity is better than property damage caused by a Drain that is overwhelmed by too much water.
For home and small business use typical materials used are:
6 inch, 9 inch, and 12 inch Surface Drains –
3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch Drainpipes —
3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch French Drains —
French Drains move more water than Surface Drains —
French Drains move Surface Water and Sub-Surface Water
Surface Drains move Surface Water only
Surface Drains look nicer than French Drains in most cases
Once the type and number of drains is determined and what size Drainpipe will connect them, an exit point must be selected. (Where is the Drainage System going to take the water to and release it?)
is installed when the desired exit point for the French Drain will release the Drainage Water into the Street. The Drainage Curb Fitting is rectangular in shape and made to be installed through the curb. A small section of Curb is cut out with a concrete saw. The Section is a few inches wider than the Drainage Curb Fitting. We then install new concrete around the curb fitting. Once the concrete has dried, the Drainpipe coming from a French Drain or Surface Drain is connected to the Drainage Curb fitting and then covered with dirt.
The Drainage Pop-Up Emitter is connected to the end of a Drainpipe. It is downhill from a French Drain or a Surface Drain. It is a small release basin with a green pop-up lid. When releasing water, it pops up about an inch to release the water from the French Drain or Surface Drain. When the Storm Water has moved through the Drainage System and out of the Pop-Up Emitter, the green lid closes back to its original closed position. The emitter is designed to release water out into a yard or down a hill or other desirable Drainage Exit Point where there is no curb.
- Popup Emitter to release water from a Drainage System in Yukon.
Drainage System installation
and design is a big part of our business. Does your sidewalk turn into a moat after a hard rain? Does part of your yard look like a pond after a thunderstorm? Worst of all, are you experiencing concrete deterioration to your foundation, sidewalk, or driveway. We can design a Drainage System to solve your Drainage Problems. Our Drainage Systems can be simple or complex. We utilize, French Drains, Surface Drains, Channel Drains, Basin Drains, Basement Drains, Trench Drains, and Sump Pumps. Estimates are free!
French Drain Installation in Yukon
Oklahoma Drainage: Servicing all of Central and Western Oklahoma since 1993.
Standing Water on Your Driveway? A Surface Drain set in concrete may be what you need. Or maybe you need a French Drain Running alongside your driveway instead. Handling water problems is what we are good at. If you need help, Oklahoma Drainage can provide the best solution for your unwanted water problems.
A good place for a French Drain
We just finished a 4-inch Drainage System in Yukon.
It was a complicated system to install. It utilized 4 inch French Drain in the flower beds, 12 inch Surface Drains on the side of the house, 6 inch French Drain along the garage foundation with 2 Pop – Up Emitters in the back yard and 3 Curb Fittings in the front. First we installed 4 inch French Drain in the flowerbeds on both sides of the front door. We connected 4 inch solid Drainpipe into the French Drain and ran them underside walk to the curb. Next we cut the curb with a concrete saw and installed 3 curb outlets for 3 separate French Drains.
Next we installed 4 12 Inch Drain Basins with grates along both sides of the house continuing with Solid Drainpipe to the Pop-Up Emitters on the back fence. Finally, we completed the Drainage System by installing a long run of 6 inch French Drain down the side of the garage foundation. Installing the French Drains in the flower beds was the most difficult and took the most time. Each French Drain took over a ton of crushed limestone to fill the French Drain trench. The Six-inch French Drain took even more limestone.
Hey Oklahoma, we are expanding to service all of Western Oklahoma as well as Central Oklahoma. If you live in Elk City, and need a French Drain, we can help. If water is standing on your driveway in Clinton, Give us a call. Duncan, Lawton, and Altus are all new areas of service for us.
Since 1993 Oklahoma Drainage has solved all types of standing water and drainage issues. We install Drainage Systems that utilize French Drains, Surface, Drains, Channel Drains, and Sump Pumps depending on the customer’s needs.
If you have water in the wrong place, we can help!
Many times, people use the term ” French Drain” as general name for a Drain used in or around your home. French Drains are designed to move a lot of water over a large flooded area. They are also designed to take water in on the surface of the ground or below the surface of the ground. This is very important if the water coming into the flooded area is moving through the ground or coming up from underneath. ” Sub Surface Water Movement.” The picture below is not a French Drain!
A French Drain looks like this
A French Drain can take in water in a broad area.
It can move a much larger volume of water compared to a Surface Drain. Also, it can move sub surface water moving into the area where a Surface Drain won’t move any water at all.
Surface Drains are designed to move surface water only on a smaller scale in confined areas.
Each solves specific drainage problems. A Drainage System may use one or both together or even several using many types of drains.
Do you have standing water
in a large area in your yard? Typically this calls for a French Drain. A French Drain is a great way to control standing water in a large grassy area. It can also protect areas from flooding to a certain degree. As long as the French Drains capacity to move water is not exceeded. If the French Drains capacity is exceeded, then water will stand in the drainage area until the rain stops and the drain has time to catch up. A good way to prevent this is to install a bigger French Drain with a larger pipe. The difference between a 3 inch French Drain and a 6 inch French Drain is huge.
Another way to beef up a French Drain is to connect gutter down spouts in front of the French Drain. The water coming off the roof causes suction in the French Drain Behind it. This greatly increases the French Drains ability to move water without increasing the size of the French Drainpipe.
Recently we installed a French Drain inside the court yard of a rest home in Norman. We had several interesting challenges to overcome that were not typical for a French Drain Installation.
The courtyard
was in the center of the home and was a secure area for the patrons. We had to put down painters tarps to run our wheel barrows over. We took out 44 loads of dirt and brought in 52 loads of Crushed one inch lime stone for the French Drain. Each trip was over a hundred yards from the trailer in the parking lot, in the front door, down the hall, making two turns along the way.
Each time we had to be escorted by security. Needless to say, the installation of this particular drainage system took a while. In the above picture, the French Drain runs along the low area crossing all the areas where water would stand each time it rained.
Don’t Cover a French Drain with Dirt!
When a French Drain is installed, a big mistake that is made by many people is to cover up the gravel with dirt. This is a big mistake. Basically it is ” Putting the cork back in the bottle.” If the French Drain is in full sun and has a type of grass surrounding it that spreads on its own such a ” Tift” or “Bermuda” , Grass will grow over it and the French Drain will eventually disappear. Grass covering a French Drain is a good thing if it grows across the drain without adding dirt. The Grass thatch acts a water filter preventing clogging and extending the life of the Drainage System.
When a French Drain is in Full Shade, or the surrounding grass will not spread on its own, such as with Fescue, other steps must be taken. One option is to just leave it alone. If you don’t mind how it looks, it will drain a large amount of water for many years. Many times a French Drain can be a landscaping focal point. They can be dressed up with all kinds of Rocks and Stones and Plants.
